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Kothaur
Kothaur, the Valiant, the Defender, the Shield of the Righteous, is one of the five sons of Thaedon and one of the primary deities of the Thaedonu-Vaati pantheon. His epithets are like those of his father, for in him, the valor of Thaedon is said to live on. His consort is Tefra. Kothaur is a protector and war-god; he is the defender and guardian of humanity, he blesses the virtuous and the brave, and shields them from the wicked. He is the patron of righteous warriors and paladins, and his realm in Aenuvion is for those who have fought courageously against evil. Needless to say, his cult is particularly strong in regions along the Ulthark Marches (many of the Sentinel Orders are closely associated with it), and has become very significant in light of the massive orcish invasions and the need to defend human lands against them. He is also believed to curse or punish oath-breakers and traitors. Symbols and Attributes The most important sign and emblem of Kothaur is his shield, the dazzling Nimravis, which is worn by his devotees as a holy symbol (typically in the form of a small golden shield-shaped medallion, minutely engraved with protective inscriptions). The sun and solar motifs (such as sunbursts) are also symbols of Kothaur, since he is said to embody the valor and strength of his father Thaedon who placed the sun in the heavens after his victory over the forces of primordial chaos. Along with his shield, he is typically depicted armed with a sword of fire whose touch is burning ruin to evil-doers. His impenetrable cloak or mantle, the wondrous Khaeton, is another important attribute of Kothaur; it is said to guard against sorcery, poison, trickery, and betrayal, and its protection is called upon by warriors facing such perils, just as the Nimravis is invoked for defense against the blades and arrows of foes. In statuary and cultic images, Kothaur is usually depicted wearing a warrior’s armor and sometimes a helm with a halo-like crest or crown, wielding his sword (or occasionally a mace or spear) with his shield on the other arm. However, he is sometimes shown with his sword sheathed and his hand outstretched, holding forth a lobed orb or spherical talisman. This is meant to represent an apple, bread, or some other symbolic peace offering, and signifies that Kothaur and his followers do not crave battle; they desire harmony first, and stand ready to fight in defense of the righteous only if malefactors force their hand. The sphinx (specifically the androsphinx, with a man’s head and eagle’s wings on the body of lion) is often associated with Kothaur, due to its nature as a formidable but benevolent guardian. Statuary and decorative elements in the architecture of Kothaur’s temples often depicts sphinxes. The quetzal-bird or trogon bird are also considered holy to him and used as symbols of his. Servants and Minions Kothaur’s XXXXXXXXXes (emissaries, emanations) typically take the form of …. * A mighty avian creature, something like Garuda or thunderbird, which serves him and Tefra * Angelic spirits that can take the form of radiant warriors * Special sphinxes * Spirits of dead warriors who served bravely in righteous causes * Guardian of the gates of Aenuvion Priests and Devotees Priests of Kothaur train in the ways of war as well as in spiritual knowledge and holy rites, and are always ready to join or lead warriors when human lands must be defended. However, they assiduously refrain from becoming involved in wars between human kingdoms, except when one side is obviously driven by evil motives (for instance, in the long series of wars between the Khadoan kingdoms and the warlords of XXXXXXX). Outside of such exceptions, they instead seek to resolve conflicts in ways that prevent the armies of mankind turning on each other. Indeed, all the Vanir-Vaati priesthoods strive to encourage peace among human realms, condemning rulers who go to war for unjust ends, and trying to arrange truces or parlays between warring human kingdoms as long as both sides worship the Thaedonu-Vaati. However, Kothaur’s priests play an especially strong part in this role, given their god’s association with warfare and with the protection of innocents from war’s destruction. Besides the priests themselves, large temples of Kothaur typically maintain orders of religious warriors, who may be under the command of the priests or work closely with them. These temple-soldiers are known as the Kothaurite Orders. They usually garrison a fortress or fortified tower adjacent to the temple; often these are incorporated into the city defenses as well as the tessaraeon proper, and help provide protection to the town and the temple precinct. Some templar orders instead maintain temple-fortresses in areas where they are needed; for instance along the Ulthark Marches, on the edge of dangerous wilderness areas, or along roads plagued with hazards where travelers are in need of protection. Paladins of Kothaur often serve as leaders and commanders in the templar orders, or may make up a special elite group within their ranks; others serve the priesthoods directly and have no connection to the templar orders. Besides his priests, paladins, and templars, Kothaur also commands the loyalty of various sects of warrior-monks who are sworn to protect particular holy sites. Whereas the templar orders and the priesthoods are usually based either in major cities or in temple-strongholds at strategic sites, the Kothaurite monks tend to serve as guardians of mountaintop shrines, the burial sites of heroic warriors, and other such places, many of which are in remote areas. For a Kothaurite priest or holy warrior, his shield itself is his most important religious totem; they are typically circular, like the miniature replicas worn as medallions, and similarly inscribed with sunburst motifs and concentric rings of devotional inscription. These shields are preserved with special care by priestly orders and templar knighthoods, and great pains will be taken to retrieve them from the battlefield if their bearer falls. Such a shield may be used by generation upon generation of priests or templars, accumulating a long history and being carried by the doers of many heroic deeds over time. The preferred weapon of Kothaur’s followers is a mace, flail, or morning star with a spiked spherical head, which is symbolic of the rayed sun, but broadswords and beaked war-hammers are also commonly used. The ceremonial staff or crozier carried by his priests will be topped with a small spiked orb device, suggestive of both the rayed sunburst and the head of a mace. Kothaurite priests and holy warriors also traditionally wear a steel circlet or brow-band with a downward-pointing central bar like the nasal of a helm, engraved with sacred markings; when they go into battle, they will wear actual helms adorned with such a circlet. Plumage from quetzals or trogons, usually brought from Bel Bheru, the Sornele, or the land of Ojaum, are sometimes used for feathered crests on the helms of Kothaur’s priests and warriors. If not plumed, their helms may bear a halo-like semicircular crest inlaid with a rayed-sun motif, or sometimes simply a sunburst device on the brow, over the circlet. Temples XXXXXXXXX Holy Days and Propitiation The first month of the Vathanalu calendar, Kothaur’s Moon or Kothersmoon, is named for Kothaur due to his association with the sun; it is during this month, with the dawning of the new year after the winter solstice, that the sun slowly begins to show itself in the sky for a little longer each day. The Partha Rhau, an important festival of Kothaur, is typically held in the middle of this month. However, in many ways the most important holy day for Kothaur’s devotees is midsummer, since it celebrates the day on which the sun attains its highest position in the sky. Midsummer festivals typically include major rites, processions, and sacrifices dedicated to him. In many parts of Rhydain and southern Orithea over the past few years, common people have also taken to celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of Crow’s Gorge with propitiations and offerings of thanks to Kothaur, considering it to mark their salvation from the menace of the orcish horde. If such customs become sufficiently widespread, they may eventually be accepted by the Vanir-Vaati priesthoods as a formally recognized holy day of Kothaur. Cult Centers The fortress-city of Kothara, in northeastern Dranuria, is named after Kothaur and its foundation was dedicated to him. Its tesseraon is centered around a grand Kothaurite temple (with an almost equally large temple of Tefra connected to it), and the adjacent citadel of Tor Telbran is home to one of the most significant templar orders. Kothara is a major site of pilgrimage for devotees of the Defender, and countless warriors (including templar brethren from other orders all over Orithea) passed through the city and made offerings to Kothaur on their way south to face Gol Garga’s horde during the recently concluded orcish wars.